


Tales of old Hallownest: Arrival of the Wyrm

by Kevinthulhu



Series: Tales of Old Hallownest [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Hallownest, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22297213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kevinthulhu/pseuds/Kevinthulhu
Summary: Stories from Hallownest that take place before The Knight arrived and stopped The Infection.  This one follows The Pale King's first impressions of his future kingdom.
Relationships: The Pale King/White Lady (Hollow Knight)
Series: Tales of Old Hallownest [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604968
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Hallownest's Edge and The Hive

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've ever made on Archive of Our Own, so please don't judge too harshly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wyrm arrives, and swiftly dies... but what is death for that old thing?

**"Have you heard it? The story of The Knight? Many people have, and many have heard different endings to the tale. In some versions, The Knight takes the place of his sibling, and prolongs The Infection. In other versions, The Knight teams up with a princess, and destroys The Infection at it's source. There are even versions of the tale where The Knight becomes a mighty Lord of Void, and destroys The Infection's Heart, never to be seen or heard from again. Yes, this story has so many endings... but have you heard... the story's beginning? That is what I shall tell you today little one's... listen closely now..." ******

********

In Hallownest... long ago... there was no city... there were no stagways... there was not even a White Palace. Every area and climate in the land had a caretaker and ruler. Unn, creator, and caretaker of Greenpath. The White Lady, mother to all within her guardens. Flukemarm, the constantly breeding and screaming mass, obsessed with expanding her brood. Herrah, Queen of the Deepnest, a twisted maze of caverns filled with terrifying bugs. Queen Vespa, ruler of her hive, and a cunning warrior. The Mantises, a tribe of great warriors, guarding the Fungal Wastes. Uumuu, a mass of intelligence, carefully watching over all that goes on in the Canyons of Fog. The Radiance, master and ruler of the Moth Tribe, allowing many bugs to join her hive mind, and finally... The Abyss Lord... some call it the Blackwyrm... other's call it the Void King... but one thing's to be sure... this Higher Being... is one to be reckoned with.

********

One day, everything was going normal. Every Higher Being tending to their own paths, gardens, wastes, grounds, and more. Little did they know that today... would change Hallownest... forever. A great tremor could be felt across the land, no one could tell exactly what it was. In the very edge of the land of Hallownest... a large caterpillar was sleeping, until the tremors began and a MASSIVE worm-like creature zoomed right past him. The caterpillar couldn't believe his eyes! A Wyrm... had come to Hallownest.

********

The ancient creature kept burrowing, and burrowing, and burrowing! It's colossal body making coils around Hallownest's Edge. Until eventually... the Wyrm stopped... and died. Then, from the Wyrm's corpse, there was a flash of divine light! Until the cast-off shell once again, turned dark... ash began floating out of the corpse of the giant beast, like beautiful petals, announcing the arrival of the creature from withing the Wyrm... or... was the Wyrm. A bug then could be seen, slowly walking out of the Wyrm's gaping maw... a diving looking being... his shell was pale, and his head was adorned with a crown of spikes... his back glowed with the presence of wings that would flutter gently in the wind. He stepped out of the corpse, and scanned his surroundings.

********

The pale bug, after becoming satisfied with his view of the land, then began walking away from the corpse, and out in to a more open area. He could already see the ash of his old body slowly float in to the air, sprinkling itself among the gray stone and glowing vines. When the bug looked around, he noticed many small, fuzzy bugs, floating around. Their bodies dripped with a rich, yellow liquid, it was sticky. This place was... peaceful... until the peace was interrupted by a large, hopping bug leaping atop multiple of the small fuzzy creatures, and stomping them to the ground, drinking of the yellow liquid that covered their bodies. The pale bug was interested in the beautiful yet violent tendencies of this land, once he colonized it, he'd have to figure out a way to quench the blood lust of his subjects.

********

As the pale bug continued to wander the land, he eventually passed a large caterpillar, who had seen him, and knew what he was going to do there. "What is the Wyrm's name?" the caterpillar asked the pale bug, the pale bug then looked at the caterpillar, almost impressed that the lowly bug knew of his origins. "You may call me The Pale King, I have come to this land to make a kingdom of my own, tell me, what is the name of this land?" The Pale King asked in a prominent voice "Why, Wyrm is in great land of Hallownest, home to many Higher Beings. You are speaking to Bardoon, the great mind, Bardoon is most knowledgeable of the things inside and outside of Hallownest's powerful winds." Bardoon spoke, before The Pale King chuckled... Hallownest... such a strange... yet... brilliant name. The Pale King then said confidentially "Hallownest? Quite the name! I must say, you are quite the intellectual bug! I see that I shall not need to use my gift on you. For I have come to give my gift of knowledge to these lowly, instinctive bugs, so that they may become my loyal subjects, once I build my kingdom. With my gift, and my intelligence, Hallownest shall last eternal!".

********

Bardoon shuddered as he heard The Pale King speak of these things, surely none of the other's would be too keen on their subjects and children leaving them to work for a Wyrm that just showed up and established his power. "Bardoon will not stand in the way of the Wyrm and his bidding... nor will Bardoon take part of it... however... Bardoon will warn you... there are other rulers in this land... and some of them are much less kind than Bardoon. Unn will surely boil in her acid with fury at you controlling her grass kin, Flukemarm will be unwilling to listen to reason, and The Radiance, while kind, is very protective of her people, and her home."

********

"Well then" The Pale King said with confidence "I'll just have to talk to them myself, and if things get violent? Well..." The Pale King made a row of long, white blades appear behind him, floating in the air "I can be quite the warrior when I need to be.". The blades disappeared before The Pale King then walked away from Bardoon, feeling very confident in his abilities. Bardoon shook his head, he knew that a ruler with hubris like that... can only end in one thing... ruin.

********

As The Pale King walked, he looked around, enjoying the scenery, so many different things going on in so many different places. If he looked in one direction, he'd see a few of those large hopping bugs, violently stomping down on a swarm of those small, fuzzy bugs. If he looked in another direction, a bit higher up, he'd see large, fat, slow moving bugs, floating around, their fat bodies starting to collect a few bits of ash from the still decaying body of The Pale King's old self, The Pale King knew that eventually, this whole place would be covered in ash from the Wyrm's corpse. If The Pale King looked in yet another direction, he'd see what appeared to be a war between factions of bugs, going on in the distance, one side was filled with fierce looking, 4 eyed bugs with orange glowing abdomens, filled with acid that they'd spit in groups of 3. The other side was filled with those small fuzzy bugs again, although with them were much larger bugs, still fuzzy, but these one's had large stingers that would spin violently and thrust forward like powerful and deadly drills.

********

It was so deadly, yet so beautiful. The perfect canvas for a perfect kingdom! The Pale King continued wandering until he stumbled across a hole in the ground, a large one. From the hole shined bright, yellow light, and whenever The Pale King looked in to it, he'd see mountains of wax and rivers of that rich, yellow liquid. The Pale King decided that he'd go take a peek around this place, so he jumped... falling down to what would seem like his death... until at the last few feet, his wings fluttered and slowed down his fall, he landed safely on his feet. He then began walking through halls of wax, filled with gleaming chairs and tables of yellow crystal, perhaps it was a crystallized form of the yellow liquid?

********

Once The Pale King made it to a flight of stairs, he began walking up, step by step, and shortly after reaching the top... he was stopped from going any further! For a large, fuzzy bug had leaped in front of him, blocking his path. This creature was much like the larger fuzzy bugs that The Pale King had saw earlier, although this one was standing upright, lacked wings, was adorned with armor, and had no stinger, but a sharp and deadly lance, aimed towards The Pale King's neck. The bug gave an aggressive "BZZZ" noise, before a feminine voice behind it said "State your business here, intruder! Are you a foe? Intent on the destruction of my hive? Or are you just too stupid to realize when you're in another beings property?" The Pale King then looked at the lance, although he was very strong, and could probably overpower this bug with ease, he could still feel the slightest bit of fear in his heart. He then spoke "I am The Pale King! A Higher Being! I have come to Hallownest to colonize it and create my own kingdom! I just came down here because I was interested in the architecture of this beautiful citadel of yours.".

********

The female voice then said in a domineering and powerful voice "Hive Knight! Stand down!" and with that, the Hive Knight drew it's lance away from The Pale King, and stepped aside, allowing for The Pale King to see where that female voice was coming from. It was a bug, adorned like a queen, she had black, yellow, and brown coloring her body. The queen bug then stepped towards The Pale King with a cautious and steely glare, "I, am Queen Vespa, ruler of this Hive you see before you! It is my duty to protect this Hive, it's denizens, the honey and nectar we take pride in, all of this, belongs to me. You may not have any of it.". The Pale King then looked to Vespa, saying "Why, Vespa, what is it that makes you believe I will take what is not mine? I would not dream of ruining the kingdom's of others, I just long to create my own, you've clearly put a large amount of work in to this city of wax and nectar, so I will respect that and will not get in your way... as long as you don't get in mine.".

********

Vespa huffed at the notions The Pale King was giving "Many other rulers will not be willing to hand over their land on a silver platter either, I may only rule a small portion of land compared to the others, but I protect it with just as much ferocity and pride. Do not underestimate the creatures of this land! They will destroy you if you are too arrogant and greedy in the construction of this kingdom, no matter how powerful you Wyrms make yourselves out to be. In fact, we have another Wyrm that takes residence here, best that you not try to upset her!". The Pale King and Vespa glared at each other, the violent tension and suspense in the room was dreadful... the Hive Knight put a claw on the handle of his lance, preparing to protect his queen if a battle was to ensue. The Pale King then waved a hand in front of Vespa as he began to walk away "Farewell Vespa... I hope not to have any more trouble with you in the future.". Vespa gave a cold, steely gaze at The Pale King as he left, before she left herself, needing to take care of other matters.

********

The Pale King continued walking, enjoying the architecture of this Hive, it really was quite beautiful. He'd have to take a few notes for when he begins to build his own kingdom. Of course The Pale King did eventually have to run out of the Hive instead of walk, the Hive Soldiers and the Hive Guardians all kept attacking him and The Pale King felt like he was already dangerously close to Vespa's bad side. He truly didn't want to start a war, especially if he didn't have an army yet, so he didn't retaliate. A Hive Guardian began smashing it's way towards him, bouncing off the walls and leaving cracks and holes everywhere it went. Until The Pale King finally found an exit and left through it, the Hive Guardian smashed in to the exit as The Pale King left, the Guardian was too large to fit through. After that dangerous encounter, The Pale King decided to wander to other parts of this land, so that he may find a place to put his city or palace, he did want them apart from each other because he was one for seclusion. The only people he'd want to regularly interact with would be people who he could 100% trust... and of course... a lover... if he ever found one. He looked ahead to see what he might encounter next and... it was a dark... dark corridor that he'd have to traverse to move on.

********


	2. The Ancient Basin and Deepnest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pale King finds himself meeting a group of strange bugs who live in The Abyss, and shortly afterwards, finds himself in a hostile, dark area, where it seems that everything spites his arrival.

The Pale King so far had fond opinions of this land, so far a majority of the natives have been nice... enough... Vespa was a little fierce. The environment as well had a wonderful bit of personality to it, so many things happening at the same time, and more often than not, they were huge contrasts. Some events would look beautiful, some would look terrifying, some would be violent, and others would be... romantic. The Pale King, while he did plan to be alone for most of his time ruling, still longed for someone to love, and he knew that he hasn't found them yet, and may never find them, but who knows? Perhaps Hallownest was just the place he needed to visit.

As The Pale King wandered he eventually found himself in a dark... empty place. All that seemed to be there were small... crawling bugs... they didn't seem to blink or... even notice anything going on around them. The Pale King then went down a large hole that was in the ground, finding that there were a few other creatures around here, these one's having multiple eyes, a large mouth atop their heads, and crawled around on a bunch of sharp claws. The Pale King thought it would be best to just, stay out of their way, so he continued to descend, until he eventually found another large hole, this one being in the wall. The Pale King looked in the hole and saw that it almost seemed bottomless. The Pale King decided to test this theory, he jumped down, preparing to lift his wings and soften his fall at any time. He was falling for what felt like ages until he finally got to the bottom, and softened his fall by fluttering his wings.

"Ah! Pale King! We've been expecting you!" Spoke a voice from a distance, a figure began to emerge from a thick darkness, and began entering the aura of light that The Pale King's body gave off. After the figure stepped forward a bit and got close to The Pale King, his form was revealed! It was a bug wearing a long, blue cloak, and hiding the bug's face was a pale, white mask with one hole in place of eyes, did this bug only have one eye to see through? The Pale King looked at the bug, curious and also slightly disturbed by their strange appearance. "You... expected me?" The bug responded "Oh where are my manners? I am Lurien, some call me Lurien the Watcher. Now come with me quickly! We prepared something for your arrival!" Lurien then lead The Pale King through the darkness, as The Pale King hesitantly followed.

After a little bit of walking, Lurien and The Pale King arrived at what appeared to be a stone table with 4 chairs, 2 of them already take by 2 all black creatures, one had a pair of white eyes and wore a gilded snail shell on their head, while the other wore a mask, had long limbs, and appeared to be making a mask on the table. Lurien sighed as he sat down The Pale King on one chair and sat down in the chair next to him "Mask Maker... how many times have I told you to not make masks on the table? The shards get EVERYWHERE!". The Masked one then looked up to Lurien "Why, I was just thinking that perhaps our guest would like... a new face? A nice royal one.", the one with the snail shell shrugged "I tried to tell him not to but he just did it anyway! I swear I'd raise my voice at him if I could, but sadly... well... you know why I don't yell.". Lurien slowly shook his head "It's fine, it's fine Shaman, let's just let the Maker continue to make his gift while we talk with our new guest."

The Pale King was confused and a little bit scared of these strange people who somehow knew him "Umm... so... how did you know I was coming?" Lurien looked at The Pale King "We saw it all! There's a friend of ours who has a handy little artifact that can see any part of Hallownest at any time. He wishes he could've come and gave you his regards himself, but... he's kind of stuck where he is... anyway! Enough about us! Let's talk about you and this new kingdom you speak of! We were planning on offering our services! You know... when you start building that kingdom of yours.". The Shaman then rolled his eyes "Besides me! I'd prefer to stay down here in The Abyss and continue to learn of the ways of my ancestors. Besides, I'm a bit of an introvert. I like to keep to myself.".

The Pale King nodded "Well, I can understand that, I prefer to be by myself as well. Now, you two... what can you offer me in your services?". The Mask Maker chuckled "Well I think my use is obvious, I can make masks for your entire kingdom! No one will have their face be visible ever again! Or at least... if that's what you wish.". Lurien looked to The Pale King as he said "My assistance could be of multiple things, I dabble in the use of Soul, so perhaps I could teach a few guards how to use it. I'm also good at watching over things, hence the name... I don't really... blink." The Pale King nodded as he considered both of them. "Hm... I think I might be able to find a place for both of you! Alright, once I find a suitable place to start building, you can come find me and I'll be more than willing to accept your assistance."

The Mask Maker stopped working on his mask before he held it up in front of The Pale King "Wonderful! Now, how do you think this looks?". It was a mask that mimicked The Pale King's head, although it was slightly different, it had wider eyes and fewer horns, and looked much more fierce. The Pale King looked at the mask with interest and a little bit of flattery "It's... good. Yes, it's quite good, you make lovely masks.". The Mask Maker looked stunned "Why, this mask was simply made in a hurry! If I had the time and resources I could make a mask that is truly fit for a Wyrm like yourself!". The Pale King nodded as he got up from his chair "I am truly flattered by your hospitality but I must be going." the Shaman then quickly got up and held up multiple chalices of a blue glowing liquid "B-but you haven't even tried one of our drinks! Come now! It's so rare that we have someone over and this Lifeblood is truly delicious, we got it from Joni himself!"

The Pale King began to walk away "Sorry, but I really must get going, I'll have some of that Lifeblood stuff next time we meet!" The Shaman sighed before putting the drinks on the table and downing the chalice of Lifeblood that was intended to be for The Pale King. "Farewell great King! I do hope that your work goes well!" Lurien spoke as he waved farewell to The Pale King, The Pale King waved back as he walked back in to the darkness. His wings glowed as he then began to flutter and flap them once again, flying up, back to the entrance of The Abyss. He landed safely and continued his journey.

As he walked more and more, he found his surroundings getting darker... not as dark as The Abyss but still very very dark... and... he could hear... scuttling and clicking and tapping within the walls around him. The sounds of cracks and loose pebbles being disturbed filled the silence in the air, screeching could be heard in the distance. The Pale King then found himself in twisting caverns, filled with cobwebs and dust, but not just that, the clicking and screeching and scuttling and tapping, it all could still be heard just as much, if not louder and more frequent. The Pale King was disturbed and honestly... scared... of his surroundings, so he quickly made it through cavern after cavern, not even stopping to see what horrific creatures surrounded him, or what claustrophobic spaces he was being squeezed in to. Eventually... he found something... very strange... he saw... himself? Could it be that another Wyrm was already here? Was this the Wyrm that Vespa spoke of?

His other self began to walk away, The Pale King followed, it went through corridor after corridor, turn after turn, until it eventually stopped. The Pale King had caught up to his doppelganger "Um... hello? Are... you a Wyrm like me?". Then suddenly, with a haunting screech, the doppelganger turned it's head all the way around to it's back, gazing at The Pale King, as it began to grow large black legs, with sharp black spikes on it's back. The fake Pale King turned upside down, in place of a head, and the beast screeched out once more as boiling acid dripped from it's mouth. The Pale King gasped as the creature charged towards him, he flew up to evade the attack, however this just lead to the beast running back as it began to leap towards him, it was able to jump as high as the ceiling!

The Pale King then made some white blades float around him as he began to have them shoot down at the beast. While it was certainly hurting the creature, this beast was acting as if it wasn't affected at all! It didn't even slow down, if anything, it started to leap at the pale king even faster! The beast then jumped up on to the ceiling and began to crawl upside down on it, it swiped at The Pale King from above before The Pale King then lowered himself down again, only for the creature to spit acid at him. The acid hit one of The Pale King's wings, wounding it, the creature leaped down, having The Pale King cornered. The creature reeled back it's head, preparing for a death strike, until... CRACK!

A large black claw had grabbed the creature by it's neck, causing a small crack to appear in it's Pale King shaped head. The hand was revealed to be part of a large bug, with sharp claws, 6 eyes, and a large amount of foliage and moss covering his body, seeming to be some sort of camouflage. The large bug then picked up the beast and slammed it on to the ground, beginning to use his claws to slash at the beasts stomach. The beast then used it's legs to pounce on top of the large bug, however it didn't work, all it did was just get the bug to stop clawing away at it's insides. The bug picked up the beast by the neck once again, beginning to tighten his grip around the beast's neck, causing cracking noises to be heard, shard after shard of the beasts exoskeleton began to fall off as a result of the stress the bug was putting on it's neck, before finally, the beast went limp, it was dead.

The Pale King was astonished by the example of pure strength and ferocity that the bug before him had shown. The Pale King decided that now might be a good time to leave, just in case this bug wasn't friendly, The Pale King began to walk away as the large bug set down the beasts corpse and sat down on a nearby rock, catching their breath. Then, suddenly, another large bug appeared in front of The Pale King before he could escape, this bug also had 6 eyes, but instead of being concealed by flora, their eyes were concealed behind a hood and a mask, the bug had a large pair of horns, and a large, strong body. The large bug that just appeared in front of The Pale King didn't even seem to notice him as she walked ahead towards the other large bug that had just killed the beast. "HUNTER! What are you doing here?!"

The Hunter looked to the large bug walking towards him "Hello Herrah... I just finished my latest hunt, and I'd say it was quite a success, it's not often that I get to kill a Nosk, their always so good at hiding... cowards...". Herrah scowled at The Hunter before she stepped closer in a menacing manner "You know very well that last time you were here, I told you that if I EVER saw you here again, I would kill you!". The Hunter gazed at Herrah, with a mix of respect, and spite "Oh dear Herrah, don't tell me you're still upset at me for killing that giant pet of yours are you?" "THAT GIANT PET WAS MY MATE!! YOU ROBBED ME OF THE CHANCE AT HAVING A CHILD AND AIR TO THE THRONE!!". The Hunter huffed "Well if it makes you feel any better he put up a pretty good fight before he finally went down, probably the most challenging hunt I've had since I killed that giant Mawlek." Herrah looked at The Hunter with fury before raising her nail towards him "Leave... and never come back... other wise I WILL kill you.".

The Hunter sighed before getting up and picking up the Nosk's corpse "Fine, but I'm keeping the Nosk." and so, The Hunter left. Herrah then turned around, noticing The Pale King who just watched that whole ordeal. Then Herrah looked at The Pale King, wondering what he was doing here and who he was "You... the pale one... you're not... from here are you?" The Pale King then stuttered before looking back at Herrah, he then looked up at Herrah "I-I'm The Pale King! A mighty Higher Being! I have come here to create my own kingdom! I'm just walking around looking for a good place to build it, also... I noticed many... feral creatures here... I can make them smarter with a little gift I ha-" "Whatever it is you're talking about, we don't want it. The creatures of Deepnest prefer to live by instinct and in seclusion.".

The Pale King sighed "Whatever you say, just stay out of my way while I build my kingdom." "The bugs of Deepnest do what they wish, I don't control them. The only bugs who actually do anything that I say are my good friends, the Weavers. Now, go, make your useless kingdom, I bet it will crumble in just a few short months." Herrah then walked away and crawled up a wall, leaving The Pale King alone. The Pale King was disgusted by Herrah's words, "crumble in just a few short months" she says, The Pale King had never heard such disrespect! The Pale King huffed before continuing to wander. Eventually, he found a pool of glowing, white liquid, it appeared to be a hot springs of sorts, and so he decided to wade in it a little bit. After stepping in to the pool, his wing, as well as all his other wounds, amazingly healed themselves, he could feel himself become more invigorated and strong! He stepped out and continued walking until he found another large bug, this one was on all it's legs and grunted as it looked around.

With powerful legs like those, this bug must be able to run hundreds of miles without getting tired, and so, The Pale King had an idea. The Pale King began to glow brightly, like a beacon, before he gently rested his hand on the creature, then the large bug... felt something... he was beginning to feel... intelligent. "Bah! What is this?!" Then the bug just realized that he was now able to talk and was a little scared by it. The Pale King tried to calm the bug down "It is OK, I gave you my gift! So, now, you have free will, and intelligence! Such a gift should be rewarded! Now, will you allow me to ride on your back, all the way out of this terrifying Deepnest place?" The bug thought about it for a bit, before grunting "Alright, got on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride, so hold on tightly." The Pale King got on to the bug, before it dashed forward and began leaping and sprinting through Deepnest. This creature would be amazing for transportation! So fast and powerful! It could probably handle many bugs being on it's back at once! He should figure out some way to use them as a transport system in the future. Eventually, after a very short ride, the bug stopped at a lovely grove full of plants "Here we are, out of Deepnest and in to the Gardens." The Pale King got off the bug "Thank you my friend, you may go back to whatever it was you were doing." The bug then ran back to the way it came as The Pale King continued to wander, curious about what he'd find in this lush environment.


	3. The Gardens and Greenpath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pale King goes in to some lush and beautiful gardens and discovers something that leaves him in awe, soon after, he confronts a Higher Being in a lake of acid.

The Pale King, after having just ridden a giant bug from Deepnest all the way to a place called The Gardens, The Pale King began wandering again, still trying to find a large bit of land that's uninhabited by any other rulers or Higher Beings, whilst also making good first impressions with the natives of this land. The Pale King noticed that The Gardens didn't seem to have many creatures in it... sure, there was a mossy bug here and there, but it was mostly filled with flora rather than fauna. The Pale King gazed in wonder at the beauty this place held, so many fascinating and wondrous plants! Thorny vines, large flowers, even a few plants that actually tried to eat anything that stepped on them, but The Pale King made sure not to get tricked by those things, you really would have to be a fool to get tricked by a plant.

As The Pale King wandered he decided that... this place looked good... perhaps he could build his kingdom here! There wasn't too many deadly creatures to get rid of, the ground seemed to be pretty sturdy, and the beauty would be something for the average citizen to enjoy. "Then it's decided!" The Pale King thought "I will build my kingdom here!" as The Pale King continued to scout around the land to see a good place to start building once he finished up meeting all the other Higher Beings of this land, he looked and saw... a figure... sitting on a bench... wait no... it wasn't a bench, it was a tree that somehow naturally formed in to a bench. Or at least that's what it looked like. The Pale King sighed as he was worried this figure would say that he can't build here, well if so then he'd put up a bit of an argument, because he wasn't just gonna let a place as perfect as this just slip through his grasp!

The Pale King huffed before marching up to the figure, who he had not seen very closely "Hey! You!". The figure then looked up... her eyes were closed... until she opened them, revealing sparkling eyes, it almost looked like her eyes were the night sky. Her head resembled roots, and she wore a gray cloak, there was a vine wrapped around one of the roots on her head. She towered over The Pale King, she was at least twice his size! However, The Pale King wasn't intimidated! He was just... in shock... the second he saw those eyes, his desire to keep this land for himself completely melted away, as he just stood there looking up at her... not talking... not even moving.

The woman looked down at The Pale King and tilted her head. "Um... hello there! You seem a little out of place in this garden! Do you uh... need some help?". The woman's body color was almost identical to the glowing, pale shell that The Pale King had... could this have been a sign of something? The Pale King, after a few seconds of complete stasis, managed to muster up enough nerve to get himself to speak to her. "May I... sit next to you? P-please..." The woman smiled before sliding to the other end of the bench and patting next to her, inviting The Pale King to sit with her on the bench and enjoy the beauty of the gardens. The Pale King sat on the bench next to... without a doubt... the most beautiful creature he had seen yet! Just being next to her almost made all his thoughts about building a kingdom fade away, and only left thoughts of her. "Um... w-what's... your name?" The Pale King said nervously, the woman looked to The Pale King "Most people call me The White Lady, I am the caretaker of these gardens, what is your name?" The Pale King gulped "You... uh... most... m-most just uh... call me The... P-Pale King... but um... if you wanna c-call me something else... I'd be fine with it...".

The White Lady chuckled before noticing the crown of spikes atop The Pale King's head, as well as his divine glow. "Hm... The Pale King is a bit of a showy name... how about I call you Pale Wyrm? Or just Wyrm for short, You are a Wyrm right? You have those spikes on your head, and then glow is a bit of a giveaway.". The Pale King blushed lightly "Um... yes... yes I am a Wyrm... I came here to b-build a kingdom... I'm uh... f-fine with the name... W-Wyrm...". The White Lady giggled "Do you want something to drink? Maybe I could get you some fruit?" The Pale King continued to blush "Um... sure... some fruit would be nice..." The White Lady smiled, she pointed her hand to the ground and made a vine spring up from the soil, it suddenly grew a piece of fruit on it. The White Lady picked the fruit from the vine and handed it to The Pale King "There you go Wyrm... so... how are you enjoying Hallownest so far?".

The Pale King took a bite from the fruit before looking up at The White Lady "Um... it's nice.. it's very nice... it can be um... a little scary sometimes though... n-not that I'm scared of anything here it's just..." "I take it you've visited Deepnest? Oh the bugs there, so scary and yet some of them can be so nice! The Weaver's are very good friends of mine, as well as Herrah, although Herrah can be a little violent sometimes... especially after her husband died... I expected her to mourn his death but all she did was go on hunts more often and kill alot more bugs... she was always a bit of a hot head.". The Pale King nodded in agreement... then there was a short bit of awkward silence... no one saying anything. The White Lady then broke the silence "So have you met the other Wyrm that's been here? They call her the Radiance... I've met her and although she can be nice... her ways of ruling can be a bit... barbaric..."

The Pale King continued to eat the fruit. "Um... no I haven't... and uh... I'll keep that noted..." There was a bit more awkward silence for a good few minutes. They both just sat together on that bench... looking out at all the flowers and plant life. The White Lady then got up from the bench and looked down at The Pale King as she said "Well, I must be going, there are other parts of the garden that need tending. But... thank you for relaxing with me... it's been awhile since I've had such friendly company.". The White Lady walked away from the bench as The Pale King watched her leaving, once she was out of sight, The Pale King slumped in to the bench. "I CANNOT build my kingdom here. It's... too beautiful..." The Pale King got up as well, and began to walk away, a small blush was on his face for the rest of the time that he spent in these gardens.

After some more wandering, The Pale King eventually found a steep canyon, it seemed to mostly be filled with foliage and stone, but a pink fog seemed to be flowing from a few tunnels here and there. Although, it wasn't enough to fill the whole canyon... yet... and it was also quite empty... there were strange, floating, jellyfish like creatures in a few places but not very many. This area was quite small, and The Pale King really only needed to fly up to leave the area, he knew a place like this wouldn't be suitable for his kingdom. Once he got to the top of the canyon, there was no more pink fog, now it was just foliage, and a light amount of green steam from pools of acid that were around the place. The Pale King then began to wander this area, looking around this lush environment.

There were beings of moss all over the place, some just scuttled on the floor, others wielded nails and shells. The Pale King did his best to stay out of there way. At one point, The Pale King heard a large noise behind him, it was a large pile of moss... a large pile of moss that's rushing towards him at an alarming speed! The Pale King quickly ran away from the mossy creature, and took a moment to catch his breath, thinking that he was safe. However, he wasn't, he knew this when he heard a large screech coming from above him, a massive bug with large wings and huge mandibles came flying down, swooping at him. The Pale King successfully dodged this attack and started to throw pale white blades at the creature, just like he did with the Nosk.

As The Pale King fought with this mighty creature, they were both running, The Pale King trying to get away and the large bug trying to keep up with him. They both eventually got to a bridge that led to a massive lake of acid, the Pale King then made it so that one of the blades curved back and hit the creature in the wing. It hit as the creature screeched! The massive bug then plummeted down in to the boiling acid lake where it quickly dissolved in to nothing. The Pale King brushed his hands together after that duel, and was about to go on his way to the next area until he heard a massive splash coming from the lake, as if something colossal lifted out of it. The Pale King looked behind him, seeing the mighty goliath that had just emerged from the lake. The creature was slug-like in appearance, and it, was, HUGE.

The Pale King could do nothing but just look up at the behemoth that arose from the lake... wondering if he should start up a conversation... or run... or... it was just then, that The Pale King heard a voice in his head! "I am Unn... who are you, Pale Wyrm?" The Pale King was shocked when he heard that voice just show up in his head! This slug creature must have some form of telepathy or something, The Pale King gave a deep breath before saying "I am The Pale King! I am here to establish my own kingdom! Who exactly are you?" The voice said "I am Unn, ruler... and creator... of Greenpath... all of this emerged from my dream." The Pale King looked around "Hm... must've been quite the dream. Well, if you have no more to say, then I really must get going." Unn glared at The Pale King "What you are doing... is foolish... do not involve me or my dream in your ambitions." The voice said before Unn sunk back in to the lake. The Pale King sighed before continuing to wander.

The Pale King, after a bit of walking, saw the large, 6 eyes bug from earlier! His name was Hunter, The King thought, or at least that's what Herrah called him. The Pale King stepped forward to The Hunter, The Hunter was currently peeling off the husk of a large bug for some reason. The Hunter then said "I know you're there little squib... what do you want?" The Pale King then said "Oh... um... well I saw you back at Deepnest and I just... wanted to say hi!" The Hunter grunted "Bah! Deepnest... the home of that pathetic queen! She thinks herself so high and mighty... I'd kill her if I didn't respect her so much. As much as I hate her, she is very strong... perhaps even stronger than me.". The Pale King nodded lightly "So... wanna be a part of my kingdom? You seem like an intelligent bug, perhaps you could start hunting food for the citizens of my kingdom!" The The Hunter leaped towards The Pale King and threateningly lifted his sharp claws towards The Pale King's neck "A true hunter does not kill for others, he does not kill for honor, or bravery, or value, a true hunter kills for his own sake, and his own sake ONLY! Now leave before I devour you like I would a common Crawlid." The Pale King huffed before he walked away.

Eventually, The Pale King found himself in an area where the foliage stopped, there was nothing but stone and rock here... he wondered what he'd find here.


	4. The Crossroads and The Fungal Wastes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pale King ventures through a simple cavern of stone, and decides to test out his most impressive power. He then discovered a land of fungi and mushrooms, where he meets a tribe of warriors lead by 4 powerful siblings.

The Pale King took a few steps in to this... strangely normal environment... he just expected something big and dramatic and weird to happen but it was just sorta average. He then saw some wandering bugs, just like all the other creatures they were feral and acted like wild bugs, then, The Pale King decided that perhaps he could practice using his greatest power here, while everything was rather tame. So, The Pale King walked up to the bugs, there were 3 of them, one was round and short, another was tall with a spiky head, and the other was chubby with a long, sharp horn atop their heads.

The Pale King stepped closer to them and waved his hand to them, a gesture of delightful acquaintanceship. "Hello there sirs and or madams, I am The Pale King and I- oh who am I kidding you can't understand a WORD I'm saying can you?". The bugs just stared at The Pale King, looking sort of confused but curious. The Pale King sighed "Look, I'm just gonna give you all some brains, you can thank me when you're all smart enough to talk." The Pale King then waved his hand in front of the faces of the 3 bugs, a pale glow was around his palm.

The 3 bugs blinked for a few seconds and stared blankly... before they then suddenly stood up and looked around them. Then the tall one said "Guys... is it just me or did I JUST realize how gross this moss we're eating is?" The horned one nodded "I was just thinking the same thing! I can't BELIEVE you guys convinced me to eat that!" The round one then said "Convince you? I recall that you started eating moss, you looked like you were enjoying it, and we joined in!" The Pale King then broke up the whole argument "OK! Easy! Easy! Listen, I am now your king, and as your king I want you to look for the best spot in Hallownest and start building a city there... oh and don't build in any areas full of foliage." The bugs all looked at each other, shrugged, and then all began to walk away "Uh... sure thing boss." "King will do fine! You don't have to call me boss!" The Pale King responded as the 3 bugs left.

The Pale King looked around the area, this place wasn't exactly as lively as most of the others, not too much flora, mostly fauna. The Pale King decided to climb up, we used his wings and fluttered up to the highest peak he could find... only to find a hole in the ceiling. He poked his head through it and saw a foggy, windy area, as much as these crossroads were uneventful, they could make a useful entrance in to his glorious kingdom, and who knows? Maybe he could make a small village up here to welcome travelers. He then sunk his head back underground and began exploring more.

He hadn't really seen anything else eventful in the Crossroads, most of it was more or less the same. He then, after a bit of thorough searching, found a small tunnel. He crawled down the snug, dark cave, trying his best not to scrape his wings on any rocks. He then began to smell something... something strange in the air... he also saw things floating in the air... it appeared to be some form of dust... or maybe spores? Whatever it was, as he went down the tunnel he saw more and more of it. He then reached the end and found himself in an area completely filled with mushrooms and fungus!

The Pale King used his wings to flutter about this new environment, and looked closely at a bunch of the mushrooms around the place... some of them... looking like they were moving. That was when a mushroom sprouted out of the ground, revealing that it had arms and legs, it then gave a strange battle cry of some sort, before spinning in to a ball and flinging itself at The Pale King, who narrowly dodged it. The Pale King thought he was out of the woods by that point but he was so horribly wrong as he noticed a group of fungus on the wall that shot out a strange, seeking projectile at him which then suddenly exploded! Causing him to fall further down in to the Fungal Wastes.

The Pale King descended further and further down the fungus ridden area, he then landed on a mushroom and he thought he was safe for a split second before the mushroom turned out to be really bouncy. He then ricocheted off the mushroom and landed in a pool of acid, which he quickly jumped out of desperately. Clawing on to the dirt, still in the rush he felt when he was in the acid pool, he started breathing heavily, trying to collect everything that's happened. He was stronger than most bugs so he got out of the acid alive but the acid definitely didn't leave him unscathed. His wings were all tattered and almost looked like they were melting, his shell was all cracked and dissolved, and his crown of spikes looked more like lumps than spikes from being dissolved. This new body would take some getting used to before he could become as strong as he was when he was a Wyrm.

The Pale King shook weakly as he slowly managed to finally get up, although it was no easy feat due to his current conditions. The Pale King then walked forward, now being a lot more careful of his surroundings, not wanting to go through all that ruckus again. He then saw a mushroom with a face and a large nose mumbling to itself, he poked the mushroom, hoping it wasn't as aggressive as the others. The mushroom then turned to the Pale King as they continued mumbling to themselves in a language that the Pale King was not familiar with in the slightest. The Pale King then decided he was tired of this and wandered elsewhere, leaving the mushroom alone. He then saw another pink, bouncy mushroom, he decided to humor himself and jumped on to it, bouncing on it multiple times, it was quite fun! Until he then accidentally fell off. The Pale King then got up, brushed himself off, and continued to wander until he came across a much more inhabited looking part of the area.

It appeared to be a village of some sort, occupied by long-necked bugs that had sharp claws, some of the smaller ones even had wings and a fearsome looking stinger. The Pale King sneaked in to the village, trying not to be spotted by any of the bugs as he made his way to a large door located at the floor. He scurried through the village and went down the hole that the door covered. Once down there, the Pale King walked forward to see 4 figures on 4 high thrones, they appeared to be the leaders of this village. They all seemed to be identical, perhaps siblings of some sort, however the one on the far right seemed... different. The bug on the far right throne was a less thin and skinny than the others, and also appeared to be bulkier, however, they were slightly shorter than the others.

The Pale King stuttered slightly before saying "Ahem, hello there! I assume you're the rulers of this village?" no response, the Pale King continued "Quite a nice little town you have down here! You're uh... you're mantises right? I've uh... seen other mantises in other lands before... so um..." the 1 mantis lord then said "State your business here." The Pale King then looked up at the lords and said "Oh! You do talk! Um... I'm just building a kingdom somewhere nearby... presumably... and I've just been wandering around and saying hi to the people I'll be living with!" All the Mantis Lords then looked at each other before the 4th one said "Sounds like something that could cause trouble in the future, you won't be a threat... right?" The Pale King then widened his eyes before saying to the 4th Lord "I-I would never do such a thing unprovoked! Anyway, I must be on my way, so if there's any diplomacy you wish to discuss I suggest you get on with it." The 4th Lord then jumped off of his throne and threatened the Pale King with a sharp scythe "Here's the diplomacy... you leave our village alone... we leave you alone... but if you threaten us... we will destroy you." The 4th Lord said in a threatening way before the 2nd Lord snapped her fingers and pointed to the 4th Lord's throne, signalling him to get back there, which he did.

The Pale King didn't exactly know how to respond to that... so he just walked out, leaving them all to their own devices. The Pale King, seeing that his wings had now regenerated, flew up through the caverns at the village's exit, he found a tunnel leading to the next area, he walked through it to find... nothing... just... a huge cave... with... rain?


	5. The Valley of Tears and The Crystal Peak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pale King finally finds the perfect place to build his kingom! Then, he continues wandering! To a peak of crystals.

After leaving the Fungal Wastes, The Pale King now had found himself in a very wide and open cave, filled with nothing but rain. There was a lot of stone around that kept wanderers from soaking themselves in the rivers that the rain formed. As The Pale King looked around he instantly knew in his mind... this was the place. The place where his kingdom's capital would be built!

Well... at least he hoped this would be the place... he had the same thought back at the gardens until he met... her... just thinking about her made him blush lightly. He then shook his head and got focused again, now was not the time to get all flustered over some woman! Even if she is the prettiest... kindest... most beautiful woman a pale wyrm like him could ever ask for... he could just see it now... his castle in the distance as he and his lover enjoy sitting down on a nice bench and just enjoying the view of his kingdom being bui- DANGIT! He was thinking about her again! "OK, head in the game, head in the game..." he thought to himself... he'd have all the time in the world to go back and propose to- go back and kis- GO BACK AND ACCOMPANY that lovely lady.

As the Pale King then started wandering around, he'd map the soon to be built kingdom in his head... "This will be the town square!" He'd think, and "This will be the grand watchtower!", he kept thinking more and more about every detail of his kingdom. Making more and more designs in his head for structures and buildings. He then noticed a few bugs ahead of him.

When he got closer he discovered that the bugs he saw were the same 3 beetles he had met just a little while ago! They were stacking rocks on top of each other, clearly trying to make a house or something like The Pale King requested. The Pale King went over to them and said "Hello my first subjects! I see you're beginning construction on my kingdom!" The beetles nodded, the tall one then said "Mhm! Exactly! We're making progress too! These rocks are really good for making walls! However... um... we haven't exactly gotten them to stack super high before-" Just then the small, two and a half foot tower of rocks they just made crumbled apart and fell to the ground, the tall bug then continued with a sigh "it does that... Lob is out looking for mud to keep these rocks together, he should be back soon."

The Pale King then said "Who's Lob?" and then the short beetle came out from behind the pile of rocks and said "Oh yeah! Forgot to mention! We gave each other names! The guy with the big horn is called Lob now, I'm Gob, and the tall guy is Lup... he uh... didn't really want all of our names to rhyme like I did so... yeah." Lup then said "Yeah, I felt like if all of our names rhymed it would get confusing... anyway, we're doing the best we can with building the city! It's just... er... difficult... with the limited resources." The Pale King then nodded and said "Well, even so, I am impressed with what you've got going so far, you've given each other names, you're having your friend get materials that might help with construction, if someone told me that just a few hours ago you guys were on all fours eating rubbish, I'd think they were lying!"

The 2 beetles were starting to feel a little proud of themselves, The Pale King then said "I'll come back once I've finished... and when I return... you'll have many more bugs to assist in building.". The Pale King then stretched out his wings and began to fly around a bit, just enjoying himself while he was in a large, open area, and he knew it wouldn't be so open and empty for long, soon it would be filled with towers and buildings! When The Pale King fluttered up near the ceiling, he noticed a soft, pink glow coming out of a hole in the ceiling, he gave a wave to the beetles, and then crawled in to the hole to see what he'd find.

When he went in to the hole, he saw a small pink glowing crystal, he looked at it with interest as he continued to fly up until he knocked his head in to the very thin ceiling. He caused the ceiling to break open, causing a huge amount of water from the lake above to pour all over him, The Pale King had to swim up the small waterfall he just accidentally made and swam to the surface of the beautiful blue lake. He swam to the shore, dried himself off a bit, and started following the trail of pink crystals he saw as he emerged from the lake.

As The Pale King continued to follow the crystals that he saw sprinkled around the cave here and there, he began reflecting on his travels. He remembers the fierceness of Vespa and her Hive Knight, he should employ some personal guards as well whenever he gets his kingdom going. He also recalled the offers that Lurien, The Shaman, and the Mask Maker gave to him, he'll have to go back some time to take them up on their offers, The Shaman could possibly be useful, Lurien might have a few skills, and the Mask Maker could perhaps carve out a few masks for his more regal followers. The Pale King thought about Unn, and how she might not take to kindly to him ever building things in that mossy grotto of hers... actually now that The Pale King mentioned that, he's pretty sure he saw a similar place filled with vegetation on his way to Hallownest... he'll have to keep an eye on that place in case it becomes a neighboring kingdom. The Pale King, most of all, remembered The White Lady... oh what he wouldn't give to have her sit by his side, overlooking the construction of his new kingdom... but he'd have to wait... while love at first sight is something that's possible, it's still better to wait awhile before you start doing anything big and flashy to impress your soon to be lover.

Eventually, The Pale King made it to a whole cavern, covered top to bottom in these glowing pink crystals. It was beautiful... The Pale King walked through the huge, flashy caves... he wondered if these crystals could become a valuable resource when he begins building... lamps made out of these beautiful crystals doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. Yes, the sights were quite serene and pretty... until The Pale King realized that some of these crystals were shooting white hot beams of light! He had to dash and dodge each blast carefully, but the further he went in, the more crystals there were, and the more beams shot out at him! The Pale King continued to dodge until eventually one of the beams got a lucky shot and singed one of The Pale King's wings. As The Pale King continued running, now limping slightly, he saw a ledge and tried to jump for it... but didn't make it... the last thing he saw before he plummeted down to the ground was the glowing white eyes of a snail similar to The Shaman he met earlier.

The Pale King descended deeper and deeper and deeper down in to the caves... the crystals slowly becoming less common as he fell down. Eventually, he started to try and use what was left of his wings to help him float down more gracefully and less fatally. The Pale King succeeded and managed to finally land mostly unharmed on to some cold stone ground he found. He looked around his new surroundings... there were gravestones all over the place, as well as many statues... The Pale King saw a bright light coming from a distance... this light was different from the crystals... it was yellow and... it felt like The Pale King was staring in to the sun... The Pale King slowly walked in to the next room to investigate further... little did he know at the time that this encounter would determine EVERYTHING that was to happen to his new kingdom...


	6. The Resting Grounds and The Radiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pale King meets a strange being.

The Pale King wandered through the statue filled caverns, finding many tombstones along the way, The Pale King still saw the light and wandered ever closer to it, curious of what it was. He eventually came across a large village, this one was less sophisticated than the Mantis Village, it mostly had tents and no signs of any form of machinery, unlike the Mantis Village which had the occasional gate that could be opened by flipping a switch. The whole village was filled with moths, The Pale King wandered through crowds of these moths until he eventually stumbled upon a small, pyramid-like structure that appeared to be the source of the light.

The Pale King crawled up the pyramid and eventually found himself at the top... he saw a glowing figure overlooking the village... she had fur and feathers of a bright yellow color, and her eyes were pale and shimmering. The figure had a small crown of spikes on her head, not too unlike The Pale King himself... could this be the other Wyrm everyone spoke of? The figure turned around and her eyes widened as she looked upon The Pale King, now standing before her, then, the figure said "Who are you?". The Pale King looked at the figure and said "I am The Pale King! A Wyrm seeking to create a brand new kingdom here in Hallownest!". The figure looked at The Pale King in an distrusting, yet interested manner, she then said "A Wyrm you say? Well, it just so happens that I am a Wyrm as well. They call me Radiance, I am the leader of the moth tribes, as well as a large portion of the insects of Hallownest. I grant insects stronger instincts, and a connection to each other, I weave a grand hive mind for all creatures that would benefit. What is it that you do exactly, Pale Wyrm?".

The Pale King then said "I can increase the intelligence of any insect I wish, granting them individuality, the freedom of choice, and the gift of knowledge.". The Radiance looked at The Pale King and said "Well... that sounds quite different to what I have planned for this land... however, I am a reasonable moth, if you are successful and our ideals are too different, then I'd be willing to share this land, you could get half of it, I get the other half. How does that sound?". The Pale King wasn't really fond of that idea... having to share HIS kingdom with... this... moth! However, he decided he'd deal with her later, and begrudgingly said "Very well... so... Radiance... what exactly is this quaint little town of yours?" The Radiance responded with "These are the Resting Grounds, where we come to dream. Occasionally there's a disturbance with the dream realm, but usually it's nothing to worry about, just usually means that someone's being woken up by something... however I'd hate to see a disturbance that I'll need to worry about... one in particular that I'm worried about is the Nightmare Realm... a strange group of bugs who serve the Nightmare Realm always arrive to a land that was once a great kingdom, but got destroyed. I'm not sure if you've noticed this or not Pale Wyrm... but around this land are small fragments here and there of an older civilization... one that has gone to ruin... it won't be long now until they... the Grimm Troupe... try to find their way to Hallownest.".

The Pale King had heard of the Grimm Troup, and frankly, he wasn't too fond of them either, the stories he's heard about them makes them sound like quite the wicked bunch. The Pale King looked at the Radiance, he then said "Well... if I have any say in the matter, they won't be coming to Hallownest any time soon, thanks for the heads up by the way.". The Radiance nodded and said "Ah, so you are reasonable as well... you know Pale Wyrm... perhaps your kingdom and my hive mind can live in harmony... perhaps it won't be so bad!". The Pale King nodded in a suspicious way, he then turned around and said "Well, I believe I've seen everyone and everything, I've gotten all introductions out of the way, now that I know that no one intends to halt my progress, I'll begin building my kingdom right away!".

The Radiance looked to the Pale King and said "Oh! Before you go... there's something you must know... that ancient civilization... they... followed a monstrous creature that is known by many names, The Void, The Abyss Lord, The Great Empty One... but we only call it the Blackwyrm... it doesn't take kindly to outsiders, beware.". The Pale King nodded and said "I'll deal with this Blackwyrm when I have to, for now, I have a kingdom to build!". The Pale King then spread out his wings and flew out of the Resting Grounds as all the moths and even the Radiance looked in awe at his majestic flight.

The Pale King flew throughout the caverns of this Hallownest, going through a safe route towards the place where he decided to build his kingdom, the place where it's always raining, and the place where 3 beetles have already gotten started. The Pale King eventually arrived to The Valley of Tears, soon to be renamed The City of Tears. The Pale King walked over to the 3 beetles who were continuing to do their best to build the city, The Pale King then said to them "You 3 have done well, but you 3 alone won't be able to work miracles. I think it's about time... I'm going to make a great city... but what's a city..." The Pale King began to glow a brilliant white as his body began to radiate with power "...without citizens?" The Pale King clapped his hands twice and his body glowed brighter than ever before for a split second, the light was blinding! The glow was gone almost as soon as it appeared, the beetles were looking around to see if anything changed.

Then, slowly, one by one, hundreds of bugs began to flow in to the large, empty space, through tunnels and caves, all of them standing on two legs and speaking to each other, something that just mere moments ago would've seen impossible. The hundreds soon became thousands, and then tens of thousands, so many bugs began flowing in to the land, all looking at The Pale King as he began to fly up so that they'd all be able to see him. The Pale King then shouted out proudly "WELCOME! To the land of King and Creator! To the last and only civilization! The eternal Kingdom! I give you... HALLOWNEST!". All the bugs cheered triumphantly, not only did The Pale King give them intelligence, but he also gave them an admiration and love for him, making sure that they'd be under his rule. After they cheered for what seemed like hours, they all got to work, all working together to build the capital city of this new kingdom.

**"That... was Hallownest's beginning... it was grand, or so I've been told... soon, The Pale King realized that he'd need personal protection direly... but... I think the tale of The Champion's Call is a story best saved for another time... I'll tell you soon, but for now, get some rest little one's.". ******


End file.
